Government plans to reform planning and build 1.5million homes could change the way villages look for the worse, a rural councillor has warned.
The new Labour government’s promise to reform the planning process after a landslide election victory comes alongside a pledge to build 1.5million new homes across the UK.
The new government said that it will build the homes over the next parliament by ‘bulldozing’ restrictive planning rules, and encourage councils to build on brownfield sites.
They also said they would be identifying 'lower quality' areas in city green belts for development, termed the ‘grey belt’.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities figures show Cumberland council decided on 1,369 planning applications in the year to March.
Of these, 1,303 (95 per cent) were granted, while just 66 were refused.
There was a particular focus on housing developments in Labour's manifesto.
The party said it would immediately update the National Planning Policy Framework "to undo damaging Conservative changes, including restoring mandatory housing targets".
Across the country, the number of granted planning applications for major residential developments – those which provide at least 10 residential dwellings – has fallen steadily over the last decade. Last year, granted applications fell by 12 per cent, slumping to the lowest level in a decade.
In the Cumberland council area, 26 were granted last year but many drew significant numbers of objections from local residents.
Rural areas near Carlisle have in the past been subject to plans to build new homes, and one councillor has suggested that local authorities need to be careful about where they permit development.
Geoff Mitchell, Wetheral ward councillor on Cumberland Council, said new homes could change villages for the worse.
He said there are many unutilised brownfield sites in the Cumberland Council area, but new homes are often built in historic, quiet areas.
He said his village, Scotby, now looks like a small town.
“We don’t want villages looking like modern council estates,” he said, adding that there is however a big need for new houses.
“Residents aren’t opposed to new houses, but when we’re talking about building 200 new houses in what was once a village it ruins it.
“They haven’t got the infrastructure to cope with them, and roads are getting busier,” he said.
He said large green spaces near villages should be preserved to maintain village life, and added: “It not a case of ‘not in my back yard’, they just need to be the right size, and in the right place.”
Across England, councils decided 333,000 planning applications - 12 per cent down on the previous year - and the lowest recorded figure in the last decade.
Of these, 285,000 (86 per cent) were granted, meaning both the proportion and total number of accepted applications slumped to a decade-low level.
To boost housing development, Labour said it will support local authorities by funding additional planning officers, and "will not be afraid to make full use of intervention powers to build the houses we need".
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